by Carl Weber
“Let him talk, Des.” I wanted to hear what Lamont had to say. For the past ten years, I might have been the public face of Hudson and Associates, but Lamont was the high-performance engine running in the background. I probably didn’t say it enough, but he had no idea how much I relied on him. Maybe it was time to let him take the lead on some things.
“There’s all sorts of business out there that we could solicit if we’re willing to heighten our profile,” Lamont said. “If we don’t, we have to recognize that outside of criminal defense work, our client base is either dying off or moving away.”
“He’s got a point,” I said to Desiree. “We’ve lost two church accounts, and Homewood Insurance is almost ninety days late on our last invoice.”
Desiree stared at me. She had no answer for that.
“But heighten the profile how, Lamont?” Perk chimed in.
“By moving downtown and going after corporate clients,” Desiree answered derisively on Lamont’s behalf. My daughter was such a progressive liberal. “You know, defend downtown hotels against unionizing, help companies dodge liability, defend wage discrimination, the stuff that really pays. Right, Lamont?”
I could tell these two were about to get started on one of their tangents, as Lamont was ready with a counter.
“If murderers and purse snatchers can be innocent until proven guilty, then what’s wrong with applying the same principle to those who can actually afford our services?” Lamont asked.
“Oh, so now we base it all on a person’s income?” Desiree fired back.
“No,” Lamont said. “But we don’t go broke springing tree-huggers on some feel-good pro bono trip either.”
Desiree pointed her finger at Lamont. “Well, that Russ Oil tree-hugging lawsuit sure paid us, and—”
“Will y’all please just—You two do this every time, until one of you takes it personal,” Perk said, rubbing his temples with his forefingers.
“No, Perk,” I said. “I think the time for debate is now.”
The three of them looked at me strangely, probably wary of the fact that I was egging them on to continue the fight. Normally I was the first one putting a stop to their battles. Of course, part of me still wished they would shut up, but this was a conversation that needed to be had, especially if I was going to avert the looming crisis.
“Lamont, you really feel strongly about making changes?’
“I do, Dad.”
“I guess the only question now is, are you committed to taking this firm to that level?”
“Of course I am. I’ve always been committed to the firm.”
I locked eyes with my son and challenged him. “Have you?”
“Are you serious, Dad?” Desiree shouted, fearful that I was buying into Lamont’s corporate plans. “You’d really move Hudson and Associates out of Harlem?”
“No, but if my son and partner came and talked to me man to man, explaining how he felt, I might open up a satellite office downtown.” I placed my feet on the floor and turned to face Lamont. “Harlem will always be our headquarters, but we practice law all over the world.”
“Amen to that,” Lamont said.
“Don’t go sprinkling holy water on yourself so fast, young man. I started this conversation for a reason—and it all hinges on you.”
Lamont smiled confidently. “Why? Because I’d be heading up the office downtown?”
“No, because you can’t run our downtown office, or any other office, if you don’t work here,” I said with finality.
The room fell ominously silent, and all three of them stared at me.
Desiree spoke. “Daddy, what are you saying?”
“I think I just said it.”
They all looked surprised, but Lamont appeared to actually be in pain. “Are you firing me?”
I couldn’t help myself. I had to laugh. “No, but I probably should. I’m too hurt to do it now. Like your mother, you’ve broken my heart, Lamont.”
“Daddy, what are you talking about? He was just expressing himself. You always encouraged us to speak our minds,” Des said.
“Yes, I have, but I don’t consider this speaking your mind. I consider this blindsided betrayal.” I handed the folder of documents to Desiree. Lamont and I were now staring each other down. He knew exactly what I knew, and his sister and Perk would soon know it too.
When she read the documents and then lifted her head, her facial expression told the story for all of us. She handed it to Perk. “What the fuck, Lamont? When were you going to tell us you were leaving?”
I’d found the documents they were reading in the executive fax machine an hour ago. Lamont had been faxing a copy to another law firm. It was a list of Lamont’s clients, and a letter accepting the other firm’s offer of partnership.
Lamont
59
I was more concerned about the tension between me, my father, and my sister than I was about the line of questioning I was about to present in court. I knew they were still upset over what they called my betrayal. My old man hadn’t said two words to me all morning. If I was honest with myself, I could kind of understand why they felt that way. I’d never mentioned leaving the firm, so Dad felt blindsided, and it didn’t help that I’d been sharing client information with the new firm. Things would have gone much smoother if I’d found a way to talk to them about this, instead of Dad finding out the way he did. For a smart guy, I sure as hell was pretty damn stupid to leave those papers in the fax machine.
After my father blew his top, I’d wasted no time leaving the office. I tried calling Desiree, but she ignored my calls. Hopefully, they would cool off soon, because as much as I tried to act like nothing was wrong, the tension was noticeable.
“What’s going on?” Langston leaned over and asked.
“Nothing.”
“Did something happen? Why is everyone acting so weird?” he whispered.
“No one’s acting weird. Just focus on your testimony. We’ve paraded enough character witness up here the past few days to nominate you for sainthood. All you have to do is be yourself and tell the truth. You’re the last witness of this trial, and yours will be the last voice they remember, other than Dad’s closing statements.”
“Mr. Hudson, are you ready for your next witness?” the judge asked.
I adjusted my jacket as I stood up and said, “Yes, the defense would like to call Langston Hudson to the stand.”
Langston walked with his head held high, looking very much like our father. He’d taken my advice and made sure to get a fresh haircut and shave. As he placed his hand on the Bible that the bailiff held out for him, I glanced over at the jury box. Most of them had neutral expressions, and no one looked angry, so that was a good sign.
“Please state your full name,” I said.
“Langston Baldwin Hudson.” Langston’s voice was confident as he answered.
I continued asking him basic questions about school, his major, his GPA, and the extracurricular and community service activities he was involved in. I needed the jury to get a full picture of who he was and what he was all about, and I wanted them to hear it from his mouth. The longer he talked about himself, the more I saw the faces of some jury members softening. He was a good kid, a likeable kid, and they appeared to be getting that impression from his testimony. That was good, because once the discussion turned toward the drugs, I needed them to feel empathy for Lang.
“Mr. Hudson, can you tell us what happened on the morning in question?”
Langston looked directly at the jury as he gave his account of the events leading up to his arrest. He described the traffic stop, including the weed that Krush had been smoking. I’d been able to convince him that it wasn’t disloyal to tell the truth about that. The only other choice would have been to leave it out, and then Brown would have painted him as a liar on cross examination. He also made sure to say it was the first time he’d ever been pulled over. He laid it on thick as he described how scary it was, as a young black man, to b
e pulled over and questioned just for driving back to college. I shot a quick glance at a black woman on the jury, but I couldn’t tell by her face how she felt about those comments. I was hoping she would feel sympathy for him.
He concluded with, “And the next thing I knew, they were putting us all in handcuffs.”
“And, Mr. Hudson, did the drugs in the car belong to you?”
“No, they did not,” Langston said emphatically. “They weren’t my drugs, and I don’t know how they got into the trunk. I’d never seen them before.”
“No further questions. Thank you, Mr. Hudson.” I gave Langston a reassuring smile. I wasn’t sure how his testimony was received by the jury, but Lang had presented himself as a respectable young college student, and I hoped that impression would last when they went to deliberate.
The courtroom door opened, and I turned around to see Perk walking in. I glanced over at my father and waited for his instructions. He shook his head at me, then tapped the face of his watch.
“Your Honor, we would like to request a brief recess at this time,” I said.
“We’ll resume in five minutes,” the judge said.
As the boys were escorted to the back to use the restroom, Perk made his way over to the defense table.
“What do you have?” Dad asked.
Perk had a solemn look on his face. “The heroin didn’t come from the same source. One sample came from Colombia, and the other from Afghanistan. Test just came back about an hour ago.”
“Well, at least we don’t have to throw Tony under the bus to save Lang,” Desiree injected bitterly.
“Yes, but it still doesn’t tell us where these damn drugs came from.” My father placed his hand on his ear, listening to Carla through the earpiece. “And we’ve got another problem.”
“What’s that?” I asked
“Carla just told me that we’ve lost jurors two and five, Lamont.”
“That’s impossible,” I said, turning to the jury members as they were filing out for their break. The two women I’d been exchanging flirtatious glances with throughout the trial wouldn’t even look at me now. What the fuck?
We sat in miserable silence until the break ended.
“All rise,” the bailiff said as the judge walked in. Perk headed back to the seats behind our table.
“Mr. Hudson, are we ready to proceed?”
“Ah, yes, Your Honor,” I said, glancing over at the two women again. They stared straight ahead coldly.
“Your witness, Mr. Brown,” the judge called out.
“Thank you.” James walked over toward Langston. “Mr. Hudson, you admit that you were driving the car when you were pulled over, correct?”
“Yes, I was the one driving.”
“And you’re also the owner of the car where the drugs were found, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re the one who put the drugs in the trunk, were you not?” James turned dramatically and faced the people sitting in the courtroom.
“No, I wasn’t,” Langston said. I could see the confidence he’d had when he first sat on the stand was slowly leaving. I knew it was because James was intimidating him.
“Then where did they come from? It was your car, and you said it was a new car that you’d just gotten, right?”
“Yes, it was, but I don’t—”
“So, how did the drugs get there?”
“I don’t know, I—”
“Come on, Mr. Hudson. You already admitted that you all were smoking marijuana.”
I jumped up and yelled “Objection, Your Honor! He’s badgering the witness!”
“I’m just trying to get a straight answer out of him. He keeps hesitating,” James exclaimed.
“Sustained. Mr. Brown, have a little more patience.” The judge gave James a warning look.
I sat back down and locked eyes with Langston. After I gave him a nod, he took a deep breath, then said, “They weren’t my drugs, and I didn’t put them there.”
“Let me ask you, are you responsible for putting gas in the car?”
“Yes,” Lang replied.
“What about oil, the tires, and insurance? Is that all your responsibility?”
“Yes, but my mom gives me the money for the insurance.”
A few people in the back laughed, and the judge shot them a warning look.
“Good, so you’re responsible for the car. Am I correct?”
“Yeah, if you put it that way, I am.”
“Well, if it was your car, Mr. Hudson, and you’re responsible for it, then ultimately anything in it is your responsibility, wouldn’t you say?”
A confused look came across Langston’s face. I could feel the trap closing, and I wanted to scream out to my brother, “Fuck loyalty! Just say it!” All he had to do was open his mouth and say the drugs belonged to Krush, and we would have the jury right where we wanted them. They already liked Langston and feared Krush.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Tony sit up in his seat. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was.
Lang inhaled deeply then began his answer in a strong voice. “Being responsible for a vehicle does not make me responsible for the contents that a third party may have placed in it without my knowledge.”
He then looked over at the jury and said, “Yes, Krush was smoking weed, and I know that was wrong. But we would never touch heroin or any other narcotic. We volunteer to help young African American boys in the community, and we guide and encourage them to stay away from drugs. We pride ourselves on being role models and living examples of doing the right thing and working hard to become successful in life. Every night, I beat myself up because I’m right where I tell those little kids not to end up, and I’m disappointed because I know I’ve let them down. That’s important to me, and to every one of us that was in that car. That’s how I know the drugs didn’t belong to any of us.”
Damn. I watched Langston dab at the corner of his eye to stop the tears that had formed. I had to do the same thing, and so did several other people in the courtroom. My brother had made a hell of a statement. I was proud of him.
“No further questions,” James said.
“Redirect?” the judge asked.
“No, Your Honor,” I said.
My father had handed me a note during James Brown’s cross examination of Langston, so I knew we had one more angle to try, but we needed time. I didn’t know yet if Langston’s speech had pulled any jurors back over to our side, but his passionate statement would be the last thing they heard today.
“We have one more witness flying in tomorrow morning, and then we should be ready to rest our case,” I said.
“Then court is adjourned until tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.” The judge slammed his gavel down, and the day’s proceedings had ended.
Tony
60
I was a ball of nerves and felt like I was about to throw up as I watched the final witness for the defense give his testimony. How Bradley Hudson had convinced former Congressman Cozy Thompson, who also happened to be the president of our fraternity, to testify on our behalf was beyond me. Normally, our organization kept a safe distance from situations like the one we’d found ourselves in.
“No further questions for this witness,” Bradley said.
“Mr. Brown?” the judge called out.
“We have no questions, Your Honor,” James told him.
I knew the Hudsons were relieved. Langston might have met Cozy once, but I sure as heck hadn’t. Cozy was vouching for the character of two people he didn’t even know, and a few questions from the ADA would have made Cozy’s character endorsement worthless to the jury.
“Any other witnesses at this time, Mr. Hudson?” the judge asked.
“No, Your Honor. The defense rests.” Bradley’s voice was strong and confident.
“Then we will hear closing arguments in the mor—”
James stood up and interrupted. “Your Honor, just one moment, please.”
“What is it, counselor?”
“The State would like to call a rebuttal witness at this time.”
The judge looked like he didn’t appreciate the sudden change of plans. “And what witness is this?”
James turned and faced the defense table as he said calmly, “We’d like to call Anthony Baker at this time.”
“What?”
“Objection! You can’t do that!” Bradley, Desiree, and Lamont all shouted at once.
“He put Langston Hudson on the stand. I would like to present a rebuttal witness, Your Honor,” James Brown replied.
There was confused chattering coming from both the spectators and the jurors. The only two people who seemed to understand what was happening were James Brown and me. I could feel Langston’s eyes on me, but I refused to look at him. I was too busy telling myself that I had no other choice but to do what I had agreed to do.
“Tony, what the fuck is going on?” he whispered.
I didn’t answer. I just sat there, waiting to be called up to the witness stand.
“Your Honor, he can’t call Mr. Baker to the stand. We wish to invoke his Fifth Amendment right at this time,” Bradley said.
“Mr. Baker reached out to me this morning through his new attorney and entered a plea agreement,” James Brown said, smirking at Bradley as he spoke.
“What? We are the attorney of record. This is some bull—”
“Hudson!” the judge yelled and struck the gavel.
As the two lawyers began going back and forth, I closed my eyes and thought back to the night before. Right after chow, I’d snuck into the bathroom to call some females using the cell phone I’d taken from Krush. Then I called my mom, because she hadn’t been in court for the past few days. She’d never missed more than two days in a row before, and I was kind of worried. I dialed the number, but there was no answer. I dialed again, and after making three more attempts, I called my brother Aaron.
“Yo, what’s up? I can’t reach Ma,” I told him.
“Yo, shit is real crazy around here,” he said.
“What do you mean? Why?”
“She’s locked up. The cops got her on a gun charge, and they trying to say there’s a body on it.”